Mar 10
John just wants to scream: “Oh Bobby, your Christian life is not made up of the abundance of possessions! It is made up of Christ himself!”
”Comment
Sam shuffled in his chair. God sat silently; affectionately staring at Sam with that same wild grin. God was with him, and he was evidently enjoying their time together, but he was silent nonetheless. Sam wondered why God didn’t keep the conversation flowing? Why the silence? Sam gazed back at God; he couldn’t rationalise any good reason for such periods of silence, but if nothing else, the silence between them gave Sam the opportunity to study God.
God wasn’t beautiful; that puzzled Sam. His appearance was rather routine, simple; commonplace even. Sam pondered why God, who could have presented himself in any form he desired, chose to present himself in a way that was so, well, ordinary? God had chosen to meet with Sam emptied of any majesty; a man with neither athletic physique nor good looks; a man void of outer appeal. Yet, despite any outer grandeur or brute strength to attract Sam to him, God had captivated his heart nonetheless.
Over the years, Sam had developed his own picture of God. He envisioned a towering image of strength that cast a constant shadow of judgement over him. He saw the back of an angry, bitter ruler who loathed his lifestyle, rejected his cries and scorned his infidelities. He saw the outline of a judge who screamed; who burned; who drew his sword against him. He saw a figure like steel that crushed his hopes and condemned his failings. He saw a mighty, demanding authority who shook his head in disappointment. He saw a silhouette that caused him to run; a judgemental god; an unfair god; a god he could live without.
Sam sat in the silence, looking into the eyes of the vulnerable, ordinary God before him. He stared in awe as he realised how this God was nothing like the god of his imagination. This God did not seek to drag him before his judgement seat; rather he met him as an equal; a servant even. He didn’t expect Sam to beg forgiveness, rather, he took his side; he defended him; justified him. He silenced the roars of violence and condemnation; he overcame the strong man who crippled him with fear and despair. He set him free; he met him in his mess, and yet declared him clean. He didn’t talk about his faults, failings or unbelief; rather he just talked; how incredible that God just wanted to talk; no stings attached.
The body God chose to reveal himself in was limited; weak even, but there was more to God than the jar of clay sitting before him. There was an eternity within; a power that could not be contained; a love that was limitless; a Spirit that was radically free. Sam looked at the visible God before him; the humble, unspectacular God in human skin, and somehow, through being able to see him in such a fragile shell, it enabled him to see the glorious, invisible God who reigned within.
Sam could see God; his eyes were open! Life erupted. He stood atop a mountain; his feet secure; his heart ablaze; his hands raised. The heavens roared; the sun engulfed him; the wind encircled him, the world was alive; Sam was alive; new life had overtaken him. He could see God. After all the visions of a harsh, vengeful, disappointed god that one preacher after another had painted for him, Sam could finally see the reality of the loving, embracing, graceful God. It was a moment of clarity that disarmed years of distortion. A breathe of grace that extinguished the a fire of lies.
God was sitting in peace; relaxed and patient. He seemed to be enjoying the moments of silence between them. Sam studied God. In contrast to Sam’s own insecurities, God seemed unusually comfortable in a human body; this amazed Sam.
How could God feel more comfortable in a human body than he did? He was, after all, the universe creating being; limitless in power; divine in glory. He was, in his natural state, bigger than all things, yet he had limited himself in order to meet with Sam. God had limited himself – for Sam? That thought rattled Sam; he didn’t know to respond to such a profound act of grace.
The limitless God had limited himself, taking on the very nature of a teacher; a servant even? But the almighty wouldn’t really do such a thing, would he? Yet, there he was, sitting before Sam; he was with Sam.
The prison warden within Sam was outraged, for he could see the walls of enslavement were being shaken; the defence system that reigned for so long was now being challenged, for the first time, by a greater force. The enemy within screamed, he threw his full force of fear upon Sam, but his tools of deception and fear mongering lacked their previous power; something had changed. The war veteran within had found himself unexpectedly up against a greater power. The still, silent power of love was at work within Sam, and it was quickly establishing control.
This was not a battle Sam was fighting; rather it was one that God seemed to be fighting on his behalf. The strong man within, that had ruled with an iron fist for so long, had been tied up by a freedom fighter of greater strength. God was sitting before him in the likeness of a man, but Sam could also feel the almighty at work within.
Sam reclined in his chair; he breathed easy. God raised his eyebrows, as if he was looking for permission to continue. Sam smirked and tilted his head slightly; he was intrigued as to what would come next. God began to speak, “So we’ve talked about verbs, now how about nouns?” God’s request was accompanied by an embracing grin. He continued, “Sam, give me an example of a noun, any noun will do.”
Sam closed his eyes, he cried out, “A noun, I need a noun!” as he raced hysterically through a long white corridor, overturning bins full of garbage and trying to open locked doors everywhere, “Where are the nouns?” He screamed, the question continued to echo down the endless corridor. Sam recklessly searched for a noun, any noun. Sam could still hear his own faint echo, “Where are the nouns?” Sam broke down doors and overturned the tables in desperation, he uncovered evidence of a past he’d rather forget, and current pains he’d rather avoid. He had stored so much rubbish in his mind, so much waste, so much clutter, but what about a noun? He just needed one noun, but it was hopeless, he couldn’t find one. He collapsed; he squirmed; oh the agony!
Sam opened his eyes, and before he could hide in shame, he found himself staring directly into the face of God, and instantly the agony of being caught out as a fool disappeared. How did God manage to do that? How was God able to assure him that even in the midst of his lack, his weakness and his foolishness, he was accepted? God didn’t use words to convince Sam of this; he just seemed to instil it in Sam whenever he looked at him. Sam was perplexed; how could there be so much transformational power be at work within him whenever he simply looked at God?
Sam thoughts returned to God’s original question. Sam sighed, shook his head and playfully threw his arms up in surrender, ”God, you’re well aware that I don’t know the answer!” God smirked; Sam was expected a wagging finger, but instead God appeared pleased, impressed even. “The answer”, God repeated, “How ingenious of you Sam”, Sam’s jaw dropped as God enthusiastically continued, “that was a fantastic example of a noun!”
“A noun is any word that you can use ‘the’ with.” God went on to explain, but Sam was lost; he still couldn’t see it. Just as he was about to close his eyes and retreat inside once more, God leaned forward and whispered to Sam, “You don’t have to dive into your minds storage house to find a noun, you only needed to look around you, nouns are everywhere! God looked around the room and started calling out what he saw, “The table, the chair, the wall, the television, the window, the pencil, the door”, turning back to Sam, he continued, “and in your case, ‘the answer’ was also a great example of a noun!”
Sam mumbled God’s words to himself, “A noun is any word I can put ‘the’ before.” He pondered the thought for a moment, then threw out the first noun that came to his mind, “The grammar lesson”. God laughed, he was evidently enjoying his time with Sam. “Exactly” God said; he continued, “and you even threw in an adjective for good measure!”
Sam groaned inwardly and sighed once more; an adjective? Oh boy, this was going to be a long day.
“Ok, let’s talk about grammar”, God said enthusiastically. Sam cracked his knuckles; he gave God his full attention. He was, oddly enough, quite relaxed considering, as he had already conceded, he would make a spectacular fool of himself any minute. Sam didn’t know anything about grammar; nothing! Granted, he could speak his own language, but he didn’t understand it. However, Sam didn’t feel guilty about this; after all, who really understands grammar anyway?
Sam decided to come clean, “I must tell you,” Sam went on to confess, “I really don’t know anything about grammar.” God nodded his head; he gave Sam the impression that this wasn’t new to him; it didn’t seem to bother God in the slightest. “Well, if you already knew it all, then you wouldn’t need my help, would you?” God questioned rhetorically. He had a point.
“Why don’t we start with the basics”, God suggested. He leaned back on his chair, looking relaxed and comfortable, and threw his first question over to Sam: “Do you know what a verb is?” Sam thought about it; he was almost positive he knew what a verb was; almost. He pondered on his possible answer, but, not willing to flunk the test on the easiest question, opted instead to throw the question back to God. “I just told you, I know nothing!” Sam said honestly; perhaps too honest? Was he being to honest? No, it was perfect, it felt perfect. Sam grinned for a few moments, trying to keep the volcano from erupting, but it was to no avail. He exploded with a wild, wayward laugh. God smiled.
It felt natural; wonderfully natural. Honesty never felt natural to Sam; he lived, in one way or another, a lie everyday. His life had become a numbed down facade; a long drawn out waltz that continued long after the music stopped playing, always side stepping people’s eyes and intimate conversations. He hated it, but it seemed to have mastered him; the villain within him had turned his soul into a military complex designed to hide his pains and disappointments as well as his fears and weaknesses.
He had once thought that he was safe within the trusted walls that had been erected, only to realise it was those very walls that imprisoned him; no one could enter, no one could see him; that was until God showed up. God had overcome the villain, the noise and the anger; God had disarmed all Sam’s defences, and although the walls were still standing defiantly against the rest of the world, God stood within them; God could see Sam.
God waited patiently for Sam to regain his composure; he seemed be in no hurry for Sam to stop his laughter, in fact he was undoubtedly enjoying the moment. Sam finally came round; drying his eyes and shaking his head once more, he looked back towards God, whose face was alight with joy. This wasn’t the God Sam had pictured in his mind all these years, the God of rules, spiritual principles and unattainable obedience. This was the God of his childhood, the simple God, the God who loved. It was this gracious God who had miraculously caused a change in Sam that had nothing to do with Sam’s own efforts, obedience or rule keeping. God had somehow changed something within Sam’s own spirit, and Sam noticed how, even in such a short period of time, he was relating to God in a profoundly different way than he ever did with the distant God he tried, and failed, to serve in his youth.
Sam shook his head as he let out one last chuckle. “What did you do in me?” Sam asked. “You changed something in me, I don’t know what, or how, but I feel the difference; I feel different.”
“What did you do in me?” God repeated with enthusiasm. “That was an excellent example of a verb!” Sam’s eyes popped out of his head; he wasn’t even trying to answer the question; he had already forgotten the question! God however, seemed delighted. “A verb” God went on to further explain, “is a doing word; any word that is an action; words, for example, such as stand, sleep, ask, talk, drive, discuss and do – anything that is an action is a verb.”
God went on to say, “Now, to answer your question,” God continued “So far, I’ve done lots of things in you: I’ve filled you with peace, I’ve explained how I see things, I’ve showed you a glimpse of heaven, I’ve saved you from the noise in your own head, and, amongst other things, I’m teaching you grammar right now.” God glanced over at Sam, lowering his voice and raising his eyebrows, “Think of me as the verb within you Sam; I’m an active doer in your life” God laughed once more, his eyes held Sam; embracing him passionately and, defying the walls around them that tried so hard to hide Sam’s faults and failings, spoke with all honesty into his spirit: “It’s ok to be weak Sam; there’s no need to hide or fear, just walk with me; trust me, my grace is sufficient.” Sam was captivated. He was looking into the eyes of God, and the only thing he saw was pure acceptance. Pure, unrestrained acceptance; how glorious.
When we study the scriptures it’s very interesting to find the Apostles’ starting point for their message was never with Adam. They didn’t start their letters or gospels talking about how Adam sinned and as a result we are all now sinners. They never followed the logic that if unbelievers can see the sin in themselves, they will then repent and be saved. They didn’t seem to take this approach at all when sharing about God. It seems that the Apostles were far more captivated by the glory of Jesus than the sin of Adam.
The Apostle John is the author of the gospel of John. In his gospel, he actually tells his readers that he has written the gospel in the hope that they would believe in Jesus and be saved.
Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:30-31
John had a heart to write a gospel that would get his readers to become believers. With this purpose in mind it’s interesting to look at how John starts his gospel. Did he start his gospel by revealing to the reader that they are a sinner? Did he start by discussing the sin of Adam? No he didn’t, instead John starts his Gospel by establishing three eternal truths:
- Jesus was with God before the world began, and through Jesus all things were created.
- Jesus is glorious, and we can see his glory.
- Jesus gave us grace.
God’s eternal plan was to give us grace and this eternal plan was purposed in Christ. In all the writings of the Apostles you can find these three eternal truths continually taught.
The account of Adam is a message of disgrace.The truth is that telling non-believers about disgrace will only push then further away from God; We need to learn from the Apostle John and start by telling them about God’s eternal truth, Jesus gave us grace!
It is not the message of disgrace that is anointed by the Holy Spirit; it is the message of grace! Pointing people to the sin of Adam will get nobody saved because they will simply follow in the footsteps of Adam and shift the blame anyway! Let’s learn a lesson from the Garden of Eden. What happened when Adam and Eve were confronted by God for their disobedience.
And God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said “The woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said “The serpent deceived me, and I ate”. Genesis 3:11-13
Did Adam and Eve suddenly get a revelation and repent because their sinful nature was pointed out to them? Not at all! On the contrary, Adam blamed God as well as Eve, and Eve blamed the devil. They had an attitude that basically said ‘I’m not to be blamed, it’s not my fault!’
When a Christian today tries to point out an unbeliever’s sinful lifestyle, they only achieve the same sad results. If their sinful nature is pointed out, they simply shift the blame onto God, someone else or the devil!
We all want to see people to come to know God, for this to happen let’s all remember we shouldn’t be pointing out their disgrace, but rather pointing them to the grace of God!
Feb 08
A man was hiking over the beautiful snowy Alps, along the way a violent storm suddenly appeared and the man had no chance to take shelter, he was trapped right in the eye of the storm. The snow storm was so intense that he could not see a thing; he could not even see his hand in front of his face. In desperation he tried to use his mobile phone, and to his amazement he could still get phone reception to make a phone call. He called a close friend, he did not know what his friend could possible do for him, but in hope he called anyway.
His friend, reading one of his favourite books in front of the open fire and his lovely wife preparing dinner for him, picked up the phone. On the other end of the phone he listened to his friend share his emotions, his fear and confusion, he was walking aimlessly in the worst storm he has ever been caught in, and he had no idea how he would make his way through it.
“Just walk east!” his friend yelled down the phone. “Just walk east! If you just walk east you will easily get out of the storm!” Meanwhile the man could not see a thing, only a blur, he was confused, he was already aware that if he walked east he would find shelter from the storm, he wasn’t arguing that. His problem was he had no idea which way east was! He could not see anything! He was completely incapable of doing anything to get himself out of the storm.
Meanwhile, he tried to explain this to his friend, but his friend just keep yelling to him ‘just walk east!’ His friend, warm and comfortable at home, could not understand why his friend could not do this one simple thing ‘Just walk east!’
Meanwhile his friend was still stuck in the storm, he tried to explain that he was not arguing that walking east is what he should do; his problem was he did not know how to walk east! Which way was east? West? North? South? He was trapped, nothing was in his control, he did not know what to do, and his friends advise, although well meaning, was only creating more fear in his heart.
“Just walk east! Stop making excuses and just start walking east and you will find shelter from the storm!” His friend yelled again, getting more frustrated; eventually his friend hung up the phone and thought to him self ‘You can’t help someone who won’t help themselves’. Warm and safe in his lovely home, his friend picked his book back up and continued to enjoy his evening.
Meanwhile his friend was left in the storm. He was lonely, fearful, and hopeless. He continued to wander, and the storm just kept getting worst. He felt so depressed, so misunderstood, so lost. In desperation he decided to try to call another friend, what could his other friend do for him? He did not know, but in hope he called.
As his friend picked up the phone the man began to retell his situation; he cried, he was broken, he was trapped in the storm, he could not do anything, he could not escape or find shelter. “Remember you are not alone” his friend yelled down the phone. “What ever you do don’t forget you are not alone!”
The man stood in the storm, the tried to understand what his friend was trying to tell him, what did he mean? His friend continued in desperation to remind him that he was not alone. “What do you mean I’m not alone?” his friend cried? “I’m completely alone! I’m in a storm and I have no power to change anything and I’m incapable of finding my way out!”
The whole time he spoke to his friend, never once did his friend try to give him instructions on how he could get out of the storm in his own strength, his friend just keep reminding him he was not alone. Again the man asked his friend “What do you mean I’m not alone?”
“Remember when you started the journey across the mountains” his friend said, “Do you remember when the weather was beautiful and calm?” His friend thought back, yes he remembered! “Do you remember you did not start this journey on your own?” Again his friend thought back, yes he remembered! He remembered that he started the journey with a guide, a seasoned mountain guide. He started the journey with a professional guide who knew every corner of the mountain, who had guided other climbers through storms even worst than the one he was trapped in now.
“Do you remember you’re not alone?” His friend cried down the phone once more. “Yes I remember!” The man said. He remembered he started the journey with a guide! His friend keep encouraging him “Remember that your guide is still with you! He’s still right beside you, he has not left you! Let him take hold of you hand and he will lead you out of the storm!”
The man hung up the phone. He held out his hand and cried out for his guide to lead him to safety. He could not see anything, he could not see his guide, he could only have faith his guide did not leave him when the storm began. As he stood in the storm, completely blind and unable to help himself, he felt the beautiful hand of the one he knew could save him from the storm; it was his guide!
His guide was still with him! When the storm first began, it had taken the man by such surprise and had come upon him so suddenly that, in his fear and confusion, he forgot his guide was still with him!
“I don’t know the way out” the man cried to his guide. He felt the guide embrace him, in the deathly cold of the storm he held him close, it made him feel a deep warmth inside himself, a warmth he almost forgot existed. The guides warm embrace comforted the man, and his heart felt strengthened, even in the storm.
The storm was so heavy the man still could not see the face of his guide, he could not see anything, he only heard the voice of his guide, the one who was capable of doing what we could not do, the only one who could save him.
The man could not see anything, he felt so weak, and in himself there was no strength left. He could only rely upon his guide and believe in his weakness, his guide would be his strength. As the storm continued to rage all around them, the man heard the guide whisper into his ear “You don’t need to know the way out, you only need to trust me, I can lead you to safety”
In that moment the man felt peace in his heart. Yes he was still in the very same storm, but he knew he would make it through the storm, because even in his weakness, his guide was strong enough to carry him through to safety.
**************************************************************
Why is it when our friends face an emotional storm in their life we always want to instruct them on how they can fix the problem themselves
“Just let it go!”
Seems like such simple advice to give someone who is heart broken from a relationship breakdown.
“Why don’t you just let it go, and move on with your life?”
Sometime we spend all our time trying to instruct our heartbroken and depressed friends on how they must lead themselves out of heartbreak and disappointment, and with our best intentions we only cause them to feel more broken. In contrast, the greatest help we can be as a friend is to remind them that within their heartbreak, within their sadness, within their inability to change their feeling and their situation, Jesus is still with them, still loves them, is still embracing them, and is still the one who will save them and heal their heart.
Within the heartbroken sadness they are suffering in, a true friend reminds them that their guide is still with them. Their guide has never left them, and they don’t need to worry about finding their own way out of their emotional crisis, they need only to trust that Jesus is with them. Always remember Jesus. It is Jesus who desires to strengthen our hearts through the storm. It is Jesus, and not ourselves who leads us; not through our strength, but through his grace given freely to us in our time of need.
Jesus is our saviour for our whole life, in this life and the eternal life. When we are unable to save ourselves in any situation, and our friends and family can not possible understand the emotional crisis we are facing in our life, Christ understands.
People will always try to instruct us on how to save ourself, Christ however, shows us his desire is to save us and lead us in his strength. Christ whispers into our ear that we need not try to be the strong one, but to lean upon Him in our weakness, he is our guide, he is our strength, He is always with us, and he will be faithful to lead us to safety.
I pray that I’m always a friend that reminds you that your guide is still with you, and he will lead you through the storm, He loves you, He is with you, when nobody understands, the Lord understands.
“Do you remember you’re not alone?” His friend cried down the phone once more. “Yes I remember!” The man said, he remembered he started the journey with a guide! His friend keep encouraging him “Remember that your guide is still with you! He’s still right beside you, he has not left you! Let him take hold of you hand and he will lead you out of the storm!”
